The present invention relates to a printing machine which prints on a paper using a thermal head and transfer film.
Conventionally, a printing machine for use as a small copying machine prints on a paper by transferring thermoplastic toner carried on transfer film onto the paper via a thermal head. To provide for printing on a desired paper such as that of a notebook, the thermal head is mounted on the machine as exposed to the exterior. The thermal head is of an end face type with circuits printed on an end face of a substrate.
The above small copying machine with the thermal head exposed to the exterior, in which circuits are printed on the narrow end face of the thermal head substrate, is difficult to manufacture and incurs high manufacturing cost since a protective member is needed to cover the exposed thermal head. In addition, the end face-type thermal head with the smaller area than a flat type thermal head tends to cause stress to concentrate on the thermal head in printing, damaging the head.